University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
10/26/2026 3:30:00 PM | Football, General, Track & Field/Cross Country
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Both the Southern Miss men's and women's athletic programs were recently honored by earning the 2025-26 David M. Halbrook Award for Academic Achievement Among Athletes at the Mississippi Association of Colleges (MAC) conference earlier this month.
For the second-straight year, Southern Miss swept the awards in the public four-year university division by having the top academic performance across all sports for both women's and men's student athletes.
"This honor confirms the commitment of our 400-plus student athletes in the classroom, but also the diligent efforts by our coaches as well as our Student-Athlete Academic Success staff, led by Kylie Hall, to provide the necessary support and direction needed on a daily basis," said Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain. "Those efforts have produced 10-straight semesters of a cumulative 3.0 or better as a department with an all-time high team grade point average of 3.329 last spring."
Those sentiments were echoed by the school's President, Dr. Joseph S. Paul.
"Earning the Halbrook Awards for overall top grade point averages for both our women and men student-athletes for the second consecutive year reflects the commitment of our student-athletes and the culture of academic excellence at Southern Miss," said University President Dr. Joseph S. Paul. "This recognition further highlights the University's exceptional faculty who eagerly work to ensure Southern Miss graduates truly are ready for life! Our coaches are to be commended as well for creating high expectations for academic achievement, and most importantly, I commend our student-athletes for their hard work in the classroom and on the fields and courts of competition."
The award recognizes the state's colleges and universities that achieve and maintain high academic standards for student athletes, thus encouraging high graduation rates.
It marked the second time that the women's athletic program captured the award since 2020-21 and the second for the men's program since 2019-20.
Both Landry Lyddy (Stonewall, La.) from football and Sylvia White (Watson, La.) from cross country/track and field were the individual male and female recipients, respectively, from Southern Miss who excelled in academics, leadership and community service.
For the second-straight year, Southern Miss swept the awards in the public four-year university division by having the top academic performance across all sports for both women's and men's student athletes.
"This honor confirms the commitment of our 400-plus student athletes in the classroom, but also the diligent efforts by our coaches as well as our Student-Athlete Academic Success staff, led by Kylie Hall, to provide the necessary support and direction needed on a daily basis," said Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain. "Those efforts have produced 10-straight semesters of a cumulative 3.0 or better as a department with an all-time high team grade point average of 3.329 last spring."
Those sentiments were echoed by the school's President, Dr. Joseph S. Paul.
"Earning the Halbrook Awards for overall top grade point averages for both our women and men student-athletes for the second consecutive year reflects the commitment of our student-athletes and the culture of academic excellence at Southern Miss," said University President Dr. Joseph S. Paul. "This recognition further highlights the University's exceptional faculty who eagerly work to ensure Southern Miss graduates truly are ready for life! Our coaches are to be commended as well for creating high expectations for academic achievement, and most importantly, I commend our student-athletes for their hard work in the classroom and on the fields and courts of competition."
The award recognizes the state's colleges and universities that achieve and maintain high academic standards for student athletes, thus encouraging high graduation rates.
It marked the second time that the women's athletic program captured the award since 2020-21 and the second for the men's program since 2019-20.
Both Landry Lyddy (Stonewall, La.) from football and Sylvia White (Watson, La.) from cross country/track and field were the individual male and female recipients, respectively, from Southern Miss who excelled in academics, leadership and community service.
Players Mentioned
QB
/ Football
Distance
/ Track & Field/Cross CountryTuesday, October 27
Tuesday, October 27
Monday, October 26
Sunday, October 25